Verizon may be blocking Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL from operating on its network

While it should not be a surprise to anyone, the fact that Microsoft’s new Lumia flagships are not being offered across multiple carriers is noteworthy. As it is, AT&T is the de-facto exclusive carrier for the Lumia 950.

There is no love for the larger Lumia 950 XL by AT&T, or from any other carrier for that matter. Microsoft will be selling the devices unlocked, and the components apparently have radios that would work on Verizon’s legacy CDMA network, but Big Red would not allow the devices to authenticate to its system.

According to the well-informed Microsoft insider Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft opted to just disable the CDMA radios inside the new devices rather than get Verizon’s blessing to authenticate the hardware should a customer opt to buy an unlocked device.

While the Microsoft insiders are quick to point fingers at Verizon, it should be noted that no matter what carrier or its technology, they ultimately have a final say as to the type of equipment that can operate on their given network, considering the magnitude of the investment involved. No word on whether Sprint took a similar position to Verizon.

To that point however, Google’s new Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X will be available only from the Google Store, and they will work on CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint. While it may be an arduous task, it is not impossible to achieve such a goal.

That, however, does not reconcile with Verizon’s historic lackluster support for the Windows Phone platform. Despite having capable exclusives like the Lumia 928 or the Lumia Icon, Verizon’s marketing and promotion for such banner bearing devices could best be summed up as “meh.”

via: Windows Central